Project Syndicate: Globalizing the Fight Against Non-Communicable Disease
George Weisz, professor of the history of medicine at McGill University

“Global health organizations and initiatives … have traditionally focused on infectious diseases, from malaria … to smallpox … But there has long been a tiny corner of global health that has targeted chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As these countries make progress on development, pressure to expand that corner is mounting. … [R]eports have shone a spotlight on the threat posed by NCDs in LMICs … [A]fter 60 years of confronting NCDs in advanced countries, it is clear that acute interventions tend to attract more support. In any case, one hopes that something has been learned from our decades of experience in fighting NCDs, and that these lessons can be applied in the more challenging and resource-poor settings of the developing world” (12/2).